I keep resisting the urge to dwell on all the “lasts” I’ll be having this week. The last Sunday morning yoga class with Michelle before Ruby {so grounding}. The last Duran Duran concert with Jeannie before Ruby {true story, going tonight!}. The last drink at the Shady Lady before Ruby {uh, I guess I need to still make this plan}…
You get the picture.
Next Monday our life changes forever.
We finally meet this little one.
The last few weeks I’ve been feeling really excited and ready to get the Ruby show on the road already – a mix of anxiety and anticipation with a side of exhaustion. Is this what pregnancy is like the last few weeks?
We travel this week.
Try not to be jealous of our crazy trip {or at least what we think our trip will look like}.
We fly to Taiwan late Friday night, experience what I’m sure will be the most excellent Saturday of my life whilst on the plane and land in Taipei early Sunday morning.
Monday morning we hop the high-speed rail and finally go pick up the Rubes{!!!}.
By Monday evening our new little family returns to Taipei.
Tuesday morning we bring Ruby with us for the paperwork Olympics.
Sometime between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday night when we fly out, we pick up our completed paperwork.
As for the rest of our trip, we’re going to let it unfold. We’ll be sure to take lots of pictures.
How do you deal with anticipation?
Teacher Goes Back to School 
Does it all seem very unreal? Your brain maybe cannot wrap around this? Are you considering walking there instead of flying? Joke there. Have a happy journey, Tami and Jed, may all your wishes come true… Here’s something I do that seems to work with the brain, after doing something like others have wonderfully described above with the body… I ask myself “what are you feeling?” and then let the words,images,sensations come in… then I say “thank you…(PAUSE) and what else?” and let the next feelings, images, words, insights, whatever come through… and then I say gently and kindly “thank you….(PAUSE) and what else?” you get the picture. This was introduced to me as a group exercise and the leader did the talking, we answered silently to ourselves. It seems to help to unlayer and clear anxiousness, and brings up positive and negative, tactile or sensory and mental layers, similar to meditation but a McDonald’s drive thru version… LOVE YOU! Oh, and foot rubs help too, right?
Ok, love the adorable picture and am sooo excited for your new little family! I agree it is like the end of a pregnancy, so enjoy the excitement and relax a little! You are going to be a great mom : ).
You mentioned a few “lasts that you are experiencing before Ruby cones home. Try not to focus or think in those terms – instead, think of all the “firsts” you will have to enjoy: her first steps, her first words, her first outing, her first playdate, her first night in your arms . . You have so much to be excited about!!
Hope all of you have a safe trip and I cannot wait to meet your daughter!
I love seeing her face on my computer screen. She is so cute. I can only imagine what you are feeling. As for the anticipation, I would sit with it– how many times in our lives do we feel the anticipation before a baby arrives in our lives? As you said, it’s like the end of a pregnancy. You ask yourself, “Am I ready for this?” Well, yes, you are! :-) xo
Think we’ll have to come and visit next summer to meet Rubes, whilst avoiding offering any parenting tips… (cos you’ve seen ours)
Have a good trip and enjoy it all
Julian
He’s so perfect! Congrats on the newest addition to your family. <3
I’m with everyone else — total tears and delight seeing another cutie pic of Ruby. My heart is just feeling wide open for y’all. So exciting!
As for anticipation, dealing with it is not my forte. But one thing that I learned about in the last year or so that I found really helpful is the following:
You know how you can try to pick someone up and, if they don’t want to be picked up, you can’t lift them? But if they do it’s easy (depending on if we’re talking about a child or a full-grown adult, I suppose)? Well, you can apply the same principle for grounding your energy.
Begin by standing how you normally would (which probably means that if someone came up and wanted to knock you down, they could — although, of course, no one would want to do that to you!). Then, ground your energy down and press through your feet like crazy. I’m sure you’re no stranger to fully pressing your feet down thanks to your yoga practice. Breathe here for anywhere from a few breaths to several minutes — however much time you need to feel a shift in your energy.
When I first read about this, I was skeptical about it, but I found it surprisingly helpful once I tried it. I now do it anytime I’m feeling anxious. I’ve even done it seated — grounding through the sit bones — to the same effect.
xo
So exciting!!!
by this time next week you will be a diaper-changing pro!
go, team ruby!
and while there are so many reasons i’m overjoyed she’s coming home, i have to say that the best part for me personally is that i’ll stop bawling every time i see a picture of her. i’m all cried out over rubes (with a shout out to lisa lisa and cult jam).
Eeek! So excited for you!! Sounds like quite the whirlwind trip. You will love the high-speed rail (America really needs to get some). Safe travels to you and your family!
oh my jebus, i am so flipping excited for you all! and of course you have to include a ruby pic just to make sure i get my cry in for today.
i actually love anticipation. but i do remember the last few weeks of pregnancy being not enough delicious anticipation and too much anxiety and exhaustion. i took lots of walks. the weeks before gus was born, i would spend 15 minutes every evening doing a body sweep meditation on the couch. i don’t usually go in for this type of thing but i did visualize every day with gus a very smooth, straightforward birth and that is what happened.
also, i’m not jealous of your whirlwind trip, but i’m mad jealous of duran duran with jeannie p. no less!
So freakin’ excited for you to be Tams, Rubes and the Jedi. Talk about a band name. Please drive around in a big multicolored bus.
i just laughed so hard i spit on my laptop screen.
Me, too! :)
I meant *The* Rubes. Fingers got ahead of my brain or the other way ’round.
WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. How do I deal with anticipation? Not well. I’m terrible with it. Especially if was for something like this. I would find it so hard to concentrate on anything. Your life is about to change forever in the best way. And at some point you will have some life that doesn’t involve bottles or diapers or spit-up, like grown-up life but then you come to the awesomeness that is Rubes. Good gravy. I am so excited for you guys.